Can you believe that we’re more than halfway through January? With the craziness of the holidays far behind and the thick of winter here for another month or two, hearty dinners that feed the soul are just the ticket. It’s even better when they prep in the slow cooker. The best dinners that stick to the ribs are always best when cooked low and slow all day long. Keeping this in mind, we pulled five of our favorite slow cooker recipes to lend a little dinner inspiration during these cold winter months. Happy eating!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Anything barbecue, but especially pulled pork, earns me a lot of brownie points in my house. This recipe uses a homemade barbecue sauce that took a few failed attempts to perfect. So when I say that it will blow your mind, I’m not kidding. Any pulled meat is tedious to make since the actual art of pulling the meat apart takes patience and time. If you ask anyone in my house, that time is well worth it. This recipe is also great to use in our recipe for Pulled Pork Pita Pockets with Cucumber Apple Slaw.

Hearty Beef Stew
This is the ultimate middle-of-winter recipe. Thick hearty beef stew cooks in the slow cooker all day long and towards the end, biscuits go right on top to cook. The top gets nice and crispy while the bottoms stay soft and gooey thanks to the liquid from the strew. This particular recipe calls for red wine which gives the gravy extra richness. This dinner warms the soul with satisfying flavor and little clean-up afterwards.

Rosemary & Thyme Slow Cooker Beef Stew
I love the rosemary in this stew. It gives it an almost festive flavor. The gravy is rich and thick and there are a ton of vegetables in this recipe. It’s perfect to make on those days when everyone is feeling a little under the weather. It’s comforting and packed with great ingredients that support the immune system and provide plenty of nutrients and vitamins.

Short Rib Gravy
Another great winter dish, this gravy is more meat than it is sauce. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs recipe that makes the house smell divine as it cooks all day long. The short ribs are wallet-friendly and all the other ingredients go a long way as well. One recipe of this is good for three to four meals depending how many you’re serving. You can get about 12 total servings out of this. I’d recommend a tube pasta with ridges like rigatoni. It grabs the gravy best.

Taco Chili with Cornbread Topping
Part of a series I did collaborating with New Leaf Wellness, this has become one of the most popular recipes on the blog. Taco-style chili cooks in the slow cooker and towards the end of the cook time, a cornbread batter gets poured on top to cook. It’s out of this world with flavor and the cornbread topping will sink down into the chili a little bit so that the flavors get incorporated well. This is easy to be prepped ahead and actually designed specifically for make-ahead meal planning so all you have to do is dump and cover.